All The Wrong Things
by HollystormDragoness
Summary: Duskheart thought he could thwart the prophecy. He thought killing Stormclaw would save Hill. But no prophecy is that easy to undo, and Duskheart finds himself spinning quickly out of control, down a dark path from which he may never escape. He had the right reasons. But reasons don't save lives...
1. PrologueAllegiances

Duskheart blinked, finding himself on a misty, starlit path. Ahead to the right lay rolling green fields and forests rich with prey. Warm sunshine pushed through the leaves onto the starlit backs of StarClan cats. He took a step forward, spotting Hill chasing a rabbit through one of the fields.

A strange force held his paws in place. Panicked, Duskheart tried to run forward towards his mate, but found himself trapped in the clouds of mist. "Hill!" He yowled her name, but she didn't even turn.

"She can't hear you. Not that she particularly wants to right now."

Duskheart started at the familiar voice. Stormclaw. Of course he'd be here. What Duskheart didn't understand was why. Why would Stormclaw come to speak to his killer? Unless... "No..."

Stormclaw sighed, lowering his gaze. "Duskheart, did you honestly think any cat would be willing to just let you waltz in here? After everything you did to NightClan?"

Duskheart didn't reply. Instead, his gaze traveled towards the left side of the path. His fur prickled. No sun shone through the dark, mist-filled trees on the opposite side. Marshy, wet peat coated the ground. A sludgy black river flowed past the trees.

"Your actions hurt too many cats. Sent too many of us here." Stormclaw meowed in a cool tone. "You knew this would happen. Cobwebs don't fix killing bites, and 'sorry' doesn't bring back the dead."

"Please, just...give me a chance to explain!" Duskheart heard his voice crack, and he mentally berated himself for seeming so weak. But if he didn't explain now, he might be doomed to an eternity in the Dark Forest, growing colder and harder with every day that passed. And he'd never see his kits or Hill again. I did it for them...

Stormclaw scoffed. "You'd need one heck of a story to get anyone to even consider letting you in here."

"I only wanted to save them. You have to understand!" Duskheart insisted.

"And killing me did what?" Stormclaw tilted his head. "Go on, explain. How did it save Hill? Or Breezekit, for that matter."

Duskheart almost lunged forward at that moment. He wanted to claw the stupid smug look off of his half-brother's face. But the thought of his mate and their kits kept him sane enough to realize that attacking Stormclaw wouldn't help his case any.

"What's your explanation?" Stormclaw asked. "Do you even have one?"

"Of course I do." Duskheart took a deep breath. "It started with StarClan..."

ALLEGIANCES

NightClan

Leader: Timberstar-Black tom with white patches around his nose and down his chest, green eyes

Deputy: Toothfang-large, muscular gray tabby tom

Medicine Cat(s): Amberpool-small black-and-white she-cat with amber eyes (Apprentice: Spiritpaw)

Spiritflame-sleek gray she-cat with green eyes (Apprentice: Sandpaw)

Sandpaw-light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Spiritpaw-All white she-cat with one black paw. One eye is blue and one is clouded with blindness.

Warriors:

Duskheart-muscular black tom with multiple scars, amber eyes

Lionsoul-large golden-brown tom with a dark ruff around his face, amber eyes

Hill Where Sun Rises (Hill)-soft gray she-cat with blue eyes

Dawnfire-orange tabby she-cat with one green eye and one blue eye

Lightningstorm-white tom with gray marks like lightning bolts, yellow eyes

Dawncloud-orange tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Acornclaw-large fluffy calico she-cat with amber eyes

Glacierclaw-short-furred white tom

Rosecream-fluffy tan she-cat with blue eyes

Silversky-Gray tom with a white underbelly and yellow eyes

Wishcloud-fluffy white she-cat with amber eyes

Silverheart-black and white she-cat with green eyes

Splashclaw-short-furred black and white tom

Twigblade-orange-brown furred tom with light brown stripes and green eyes

Stormclaw-black and white tom with blue eyes

Skyfur-blue she-cat with green spots and bright, slightly insane-looking green eyes

Apprentices:

Beepaw-sandy colored she-cat with a few stripes and amber eyes

Shrillpaw-light gray tom with light blue eyes

Conepaw-dark gray intersex cat with one blue and one orange eye

Bramblepaw: brown tabby she-cat with bright green eyes

Queens:

Nightrush-small black-and-white she-cat with blue eyes, smallest warrior in the Clan (expecting Lionsoul's kits)

Lightheart- fluffy cream she-cat (mother to Twigblade's kits: Sunkit, Fogkit, Fernkit, and Cloverkit)

Thistledusk-Black she-cat with violet eyes. Expecting kits, father unknown

Hollystorm-Black she-cat with one green eye and one eye missing. Expecting Silversky's kits.

Kits:

Sunkit-Fluffy striped sandy-colored tom kit with amber eyes

Fogkit- Thick-furred whiteish-gray she-kit with blue eyes.

Cloverkit-Sandy-colored she-kit with white paws and green eyes

Fernkit-small gray she-kit with green eyes

Silverkit-silver she-kit with one white paw and one black paw, green eyes

Mystickit-blue-gray tom with greyish eyes

Ravenkit-black tom-kit with green eyes

Elders:

Sunheart-orange and white she-cat

Author's Note: NightClan has a lot of repeated names...whoops XD I guess we really like some of those prefixes. NightClan came from an old RP I had with some friends, so there might be some interesting things in this Clan that you wouldn't see in any normal Clan (Like Skyfur, for example...). They have some different things in the warrior code, including one rule allowing medicine cats to have kits if there are other medicine cats to take over their duties while in the nursery. Also, we have a lot of meddies here. XD whoops!

Now, I must give credit where credit is due :P (note: I don't think any of these friends have Quotev accounts, sadly, but I'm still crediting them by their usual usernames :P)

Timberstar, Silversky, Skyfur, Lionsoul, Hill, Lightningstorm, Twigblade, Cloverkit, and Ravenkit belong to frizzie2

Toothfang, Amberpool, Glacierclaw, Splashclaw, Beepaw, Shrillpaw, Conepaw, Sunkit, Fogkit, Lightheart, and Mystickit belong to BlurryKittyMagi

Sunheart and Spiritpaw belong to major1342

Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy the story! Sorry the A/N was so fricking long lol I swear they won't be this long in future chapters!!


	2. Chapter 1

_It started with StarClan. If they hadn't sent their cursed prophecy, it would never have come true…_

Everything started on a warm day in greenleaf. Duskheart lay stretched out in a shady corner of camp, enjoying the few moments he had with his mate while no patrols were going on. He purred softly, gently grooming Hill's soft ears. A perfect afternoon…

"Duskheart?" Hill looked up at him, her blue eyes glimmering with happiness. "I have news for you."

"Hm?" He met her gaze, amber eyes half-closed against the sun.

"I'm expecting kits." She purred the words, her gaze sparkling.

"Great StarClan…" Duskheart gasped, breaking into an excited purr. "I can't believe it…" Happiness flooded his veins to the point where he wanted to leap up and announce the good news to the entire camp. He was going to be a _father_! "How long have you known?"

"A moon or so." Hill twitched her tail a little. "Amberpool first told me she suspected back at the beginning of the season. But I didn't tell you until I was sure."

Duskheart nodded a little. "I still can't believe it...I'm going to be a father!"

Hill stretched, purring happily. "We're going to have our own little family. Finally…" She yawned, leaning a little against her mate and half-shutting her eyes.

Duskheart let her lay there, understanding that this whole thing must be exhausting. The heat of the sun made it nearly impossible for him to tell that anything might be wrong...until Hill started to cough. Duskheart's fur bristled with concern. _Great StarClan…_ While the bout passed quickly, Duskheart knew now that something wasn't right. He hadn't noticed it before because of the way the sun warmed the pair's fur, but Hill felt much hotter than usual.

Anxiety spurred him forward. He gently pulled away from Hill, leaving her to rest in the shade while he hurried towards the medicine den. Spiritflame would know what was going on...she or Amberpool. One of them always knew.

Except when he reached the medicine den, he heard voices almost immediately. Spiritpaw, the young medicine apprentice, was attempting to explain something to her mentor. "I don't understand… Shineleaf was trying to tell me something, wasn't she?"

"I imagine so." Amberpool's calm, gentle mew sounded from deeper inside the cave. "What, exactly, did she tell you?"

"She...she said something about a great storm." Spiritpaw meowed. "And a falling hill. And 'son of the evening star,' whatever that means."

Amberpool fell silent for a long time before answering. "Spiritpaw, it's a prophecy. I received a similar message moons ago, when I was Snickerleaf's apprentice…" Her voice faded for a moment, then she spoke again, her tone filled with new mystery. "_In the hottest of seasons, the clouds will gather and bring a great storm upon the Clans. The hill will fall, and the child of the evening star will rise in her memory, bringing destruction upon the forest. Only the silver dusk, mystic soul, and raven's heart can save us now._"

A silence befell the den for a long while. Duskheart very nearly stepped inside, about to pretend he hadn't been eavesdropping, when Spiritpaw spoke again. "The hill will fall...is that...is that about an actual hill, or... "

Duskheart felt his hackles rising again. _StarClan's kits...this is about Hill…_ Whatever illness his mate had come down with must have been worse than he thought. He scanned the camp anxiously, concerned for his mate. A great storm...well, he only knew of one cat who fit that description. His half-brother, Stormclaw.

Stormclaw had trained with the Dark Forest as a kit, when he didn't know any better. And since learning that, Duskheart had been unable to trust the tom. After all, some nights, he could see the shadowy echoes of Dark Forest warriors following in Stormclaw's pawsteps...Perhaps they had a good reason, but he didn't trust the young warrior at all. It wouldn't surprise him at all if Stormclaw was the "great storm" of the prophecy…

He had to be stopped. Forgetting his desire to speak to the medicine cats for the time being, Duskheart bounded out into the forest. He needed a quiet place to think...think and plot. How could one stop a former Dark Forest warrior? If Stormclaw intended harm on Hill, Duskheart would be completely powerless against him. Stormclaw knew moves that even Timberstar himself had never learned. So how in all the stars could Duskheart protect his mate?

Duskheart's amber gaze sparked with an idea. He had to take out the threat before Stormclaw had a chance to hurt Hill. He would save his mate...no matter what it took. With a dark purr, his claws slid out. The young tom would fight tooth and claw for his mate and kits...even if he had to kill to save them.

**A/N: Well well well, looks like things are heating up in here! Question of the day: Who's your favorite character so far? **


	3. Chapter 2

_**But I wasn't evil. I had a perfectly good reason for staying in contact with Rockpelt.**_

_Well, of course I know that now. But I let my suspicions cloud my judgement..._

Stormclaw bounded through the trees, feeling like he was flying. It felt so good to stretch his legs...he hadn't had a good run in ages. NightClan cats, after all, weren't built for speed. Still, Stormclaw couldn't help loving the feeling of the wind in his fur. Perhaps it came from his father. Silversky hadn't been _born _in NightClan, after all.

He pulled up at the border between NightClan territory and the rogue cats' land, purring like a kit as he glanced behind him. A light gray tabby tom shot him a faint little smirk, green eyes twinkling. "I almost couldn't keep up with you that time."

Stormclaw ducked his head, a little embarrassed at the warrior's comment. "I guess that means I'm getting faster, huh?"

" The warrior nodded proudly. "You are. StarClan's kits...I need to catch my breath."

Stormclaw very nearly shot back a snarky, teasing retort, but before he could, he heard another voice.

"Stormclaw?" His littermate, Wishcloud, stepped into the little clearing, passing right next to the other cat without seeming to notice his presence. She looked around, wrinkling her nose in confused curiosity. "Who are you talking to?"

Stormclaw flicked his tail nervously. "No one...I was just…"

Wishcloud rolled her eyes with a faint purr. "Bragging to yourself about your speed?"

"Sure…" Stormclaw ducked his head, embarrassed. While it was better to let Wishcloud, along with the rest of the Clan, believe that he talked to himself rather than reveal that he still had a friendly relationship with a Dark Forest warrior, that didn't mean it wasn't humiliating sometimes.

She twitched her whiskers in amusement. "Well then. I'll leave you to it. Don't let your head get too big." With a final, giggling purr, she disappeared back into the bushes she'd come out of.

Stormclaw waited until he couldn't hear her running pawsteps anymore before turning back to his friend's starless, ghostly form. "Thank StarClan she believed me...that one got close, Rockpelt."

Rockpelt nodded gravely, frowning a bit. "Too close. Stormclaw...you're a full-grown warrior now, not a kit anymore. Maybe...maybe it's time I go back...and stay there."

Stormclaw's eyes widened. "No! It's going fine the way things are now! Most of the time, no one comes out this way...it's safe to talk here, and anywhere if I'm alone." As much as Duskheart taunted him about supporting the Dark Forest, Stormclaw had grown close with some of the cats there during his kithood, before he learned just how dangerous the forest could really be. And with his father being missing for most of his kithood, Stormclaw had ended up forming a close bond with Rockpelt. The older warrior had been Silversky's littermate, and seemed to care about Stormclaw's well-being. He had been more of a father for most of Stormclaw's life than Silversky had ever been.

Of course, Silversky couldn't have been blamed for that. It hadn't been _his _fault that a stranger had pushed him into the gorge just at the edge of NightClan territory, sending him far downstream. It hadn't been his fault when the Twolegs found him, healed him, kept him prisoner for moons...and it hadn't been his fault he'd almost gotten lost in the large town and the thick forests beyond. But he'd been gone up until Stormclaw's third moon as an apprentice, and by then...by then, Stormclaw had found a father figure on his own.

Rockpelt hesitated a while, tail flicking as he thought. "Stormclaw...Cats are suspicious enough of you. They don't need more reasons to think you're disloyal to NightClan."

"Oh, please...the only cat who still thinks I'm disloyal is Duskheart, and he's always picking fights anyway." Stormclaw pointed out with a little shrug. "We've been meeting like this for moons...and this is the one time anyone's actually come close to figuring out that I still meet you."

Rockpelt frowned, clearly still not on board with this whole idea. "Fine. But this can't go on forever, little thundercloud. Someone will eventually catch you...and the way things have been going in StarClan, I wouldn't be surprised if NightClan was on edge enough to exile you just for talking to me."

Stormclaw tensed a little at the idea, but he tried not to show Rockpelt that he was worried. If he did, Rockpelt might keep insisting on cutting off communication. And no matter the danger, Stormclaw couldn't stand the idea of losing his father figure…

When he finally returned to camp, Stormclaw could feel the suspicious gazes of some of the other warriors following him. After all, he'd left camp hours ago, and hadn't come back with any prey. Even without Duskheart's influence, that had to be unusual behavior.

"Done racing yourself?" Wishcloud teased, smirking slightly. Stormclaw swished his tail.

"I wasn't...I was chasing a squirrel, Wishcloud."

She squinted at him, as if she didn't quite believe what he was saying. "Right. And that's why you were talking to yourself in the woods."

"Maybe he wasn't talking to _himself_." Duskheart rose from where he'd been sitting at the base of the Tallrock. "Maybe he was talking to someone else. Plotting against us, perhaps?" His amber eyes flashed with a menace Stormclaw had never seen before in his half-brother.

"There was no one else there." Wishcloud hurriedly reassured him, ears flattening in fear. Stormclaw's littermate had always been shy, and he could understand Duskheart frightening her. Sometimes Duskheart frightened _him_, and he was a trained warrior of NightClan and the Dark Forest!

"No one detectable." Duskheart lashed his tail, obviously unwilling to let this go. "But that doesn't mean there weren't star-cursed warriors there."

"Duskheart!" NightClan's deputy, Toothfang, hissed from the prey pile. "That's quite enough. Stormclaw is a loyal warrior. He doesn't deserve your suspicion."

Duskheart settled down, muttering just loud enough for Stormclaw to hear. "That's what he thinks."

Stormclaw sighed and tried not to let it bother him as he went to find something to eat. He knew he was loyal, even if Duskheart didn't. And obviously his Clanmates trusted him, too. He couldn't keep letting the older warrior get to him like that, he knew it. And yet somehow, despite his best efforts to ignore it, Duskheart always managed to get under his skin…

**A/N: Turns out Stormclaw isn't quite the dark, evil menace Duskheart's been making him out to be… **

**Question of the chapter: Was Stormclaw doing the right thing, keeping in contact with Rockpelt?**


End file.
